Simplicity
by gurechi
Summary: Jounouchi has always regarded himself as a simple person with simple pleasures and straightforward feelings… That is, until now. Unfortunately, he'd never think his unheeding heart would betray him. A Kaiba x Jounouchi one-shot? Two-shot? Who knows.


**Simplicity**

by gure

**Disclaimer:** Yugiou does not belong to me. This is a Kaiba/Jounouchi oneshot? Two-shot? Who knows. This fic contains mentions of both the Yugiou manga and Yugiou Duel Monsters (second anime series). Unbeta-ed.

**Author's Note: **So what has been happening in my life that has deterred me from updating my fics for more than a year? Well, I've finished school, moved to another location, found a new job, and got myself a significant other. Hopefully once things settle down, I'll be able to finish my ongoing stories.

**Summary:** Jounouchi has always regarded himself as a simple person with simple pleasures and straightforward feelings… That is, until now. Unfortunately, he'd never think his unheeding heart would betray him.

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><p>Jounouchi Katsuya regards himself as a simple man with simple pleasures.<p>

As long as he has his trusty dueling deck, his circle of friends and his sister backing him up, and a roof over his head, he needs nothing else.

Actually, the roof over his head is optional. He can count the number of times he had to camp the night out on a park bench. But that's fine—he is used to it.

Everything else aside from those few important things are superfluous. A few spare yen, new shoes, a new school uniform set, a good and hardy meal—those are all great, sure, but they aren't exactly a necessity for his overall contentedness.

Since he's always been accustomed to living sparingly ever since his parents separated, he's discovered that it is the simple things in life that makes him happy. He likes hanging out with all his friends at Yugi's grandfather's game shop. He loves spending time at the park or at the mall with his little sister whenever he's able. He enjoys the feeling of adrenaline and fierce competition when dueling a worthy opponent.

To put it simply, he likes the minimalism of it all— the less you have, the more you cherish the small things you _do _have.

Of course, treating yourself to something extra once in a while isn't a _bad_ thing. In fact, it never fails to give him a larger appreciation of the extra things all the more. Every now and then, he enjoys a greasy burger, fries and a fat-inducing shake. In fact, every once in a while, he'd splurge on something he is fond of at that particular moment—a pair of Air Muscle shoes _[1]_, a booster pack for his ever-improving deck, a gift for his sister. Because if you ask him, he really likes the feel of breaking in a new pair of first-class running shoes. And adding new cards to improve his deck is pretty awesome too. And of course there is nothing wrong with spoiling your only little sister that you hardly have any chance to see.

So really, there is nothing wrong with splurging once in a while.

But those things are meant to be enjoyed only occasionally, so that in the end he could remind himself that he is still the same person who just considers family, camaraderie, and his own personal values to be the most important things in life, not materialistic goods.

All in all, Jounouchi thinks he is a simple man to please, and he prefers life to be uncomplicated and straightforward.

Which is why Jounouchi is now having a hard time adjusting to being involved with the complication that is Kaiba Seto.

Even now, he still can't get his head to wrap around the fact that he and Kaiba are… what? Lovers? _Definitely not._ Boyfriends? _Not quite._ Friends with benefits? _No, because they were never friends to begin with._ He's not really quite certain personally, but he does know that this Kaiba Seto makes him feel lightheaded, queasy in the stomach, and suffer from high blood pressure—there are many occasions where he feels like he's about to pop a blood vessel.

He really doesn't think this is a good thing. But because being away from Kaiba Seto feels even worse, he settles himself somewhere between both- being near the guy but keeping his distance as well. After all, he doesn't want to actually endanger his overall health for that maniac. He isn't that big of a masochist.

And if you're wondering, yes, this is Kaiba Seto, boy (now a man, really) billionaire and CEO of Kaiba Corp. with limitless amounts of money at his disposal—it's ridiculous how much money and wealth the guy has. This is the same guy who signed a check to buy a new sports car without blinking an eye, the same guy who spent a fortune building Battle City just so he could attempt to earn his former dueling title back and collect the god cards, the same guy who had his own personal Blue Eyes White Dragon-themed jet just so he could make a dramatic exit _[2]_,and the same guy who blew ten billion yen building Death-T just so he could get his revenge on Yugi. _[3]_

The amount of money Kaiba spends on a whim just boggles Jounouchi's mind, and he doesn't understand how anyone could spend money so shamelessly. He still doesn't know why he even puts up with the bastard, especially when he feels like he wants to bash his head in most of the time.

And now this rich bastard who doesn't even know of his annoying spendthrift habits seems to be trying to spoil him rotten by burying him with expensive gifts.

"Kaiba, I don't need another pair of shoes. This is the what—the twentieth pair you've given me? I already have my awesome Air Muscle shoes and I only have two feet," he complains to the man—who ignores him and goes on to extenuate his reasons for purchasing a different, more expensive pair of running shoes, even more expensive than his 100,000 yen Air Muscles.

"Your ugly low-class shoes are old and there's a gaping hole in one of them," Kaiba argues, adamant in getting him to accept his gift.

Feeling the need to defend the dignity of his shoes, he retorts back, "Dude, Kaiba, these are _Air Muscle_ shoes. They're expensive enough! I don't need your four million yen shoes! What are they made of? Gold? Plus, Yugi won my pair back for me and they mean a lot to me. And the hole just gives them more character! No one has a pair like mine!"

At the mention of Yugi, Kaiba just frowns all the more, clearly pissed. _Crap_, Jououchi thinks, maybe he should not have mentioned Yugi…

"Hn, I had no idea you were such a sap when it came to the midget, _zako_," Kaiba sneers sarcastically, the iciness of his tone extremely evident to even the dense blond.

"We're friends, Kaiba, and we've gone through a lot together. Surely you don't expect any less!" Jounouchi replies as calmly as possible, patting himself internally on the back for being able to control his tone of voice. By this time, he has learned somewhat to put up with Kaiba's insulting names for him.

"Hah—!" the chestnut-haired CEO huffs, an ugly leer on his handsome face. "If you consider the way he acts around you as 'so-called friendship', you must be blind, _makeinu_. He clearly has designs on you. And you only encourage him by accepting his so called _friendly_ advances."

Seeing red at the implication, Jounouchi can't help but grab Kaiba's white coat lapels, dragging the taller man closer to his indignant face. "You are the blind one, Kaiba! You don't even know what friendship is! Who are you to say what Yugi and I are to each other! We're as close as brothers! I hope even you would know what that means. Or do you have a relationship with Mokuba I shouldn't know about?" He spits out the last part venomously, knowing the reaction it would surely cause.

Sometimes, even Kaiba is predictable, and he responds just the way Jounouchi predicts he would. The taller man pushes him roughly away, his eyes now like blazing angry blue infernos.

"Do _not_ talk about my brother like that, you filthy mongrel!" he snarls as Jounouchi tumbles backwards onto his rear from Kaiba's fierce shove. "Clearly I underestimated your filthy degenerate mind! To think I gave you more credit than you deserved! I must have undoubtedly lost my mind for even believing anything else!"

With that, Kaiba spins rigidly around to walk away, his gravity-defying trench coat sweeping dramatically behind him.

Any other time, Jounouchi would be more than amused at Kaiba's dramatic flair, but this time, he does not miss the expression of betrayal and hurt on the other man's face before he turns away from him to storm off.

With not much time to do anything else, Jounouchi thinks quickly and acts even faster as he grabs the other man by his wrist.

…And ducks from the fist swinging swiftly towards where his head had been. He grips Kaiba's wrists tighter, using the taller man's momentum to his advantage. Years of street-fighting experience allows him to slither quickly behind Kaiba to grasp the man's slender waist with both arms before the other man can knee him in the groin, and he effectively traps Kaiba's arms to his sides. Jounouchi finally lets himself breathe nervously on the back of Kaiba's neck as he clutches the man still in his steel grip.

"Stop, Kaiba, please," Jounouchi whispers apologetically, leaning his head forward enough that his forehead touches the pale smooth skin of Kaiba's neck.

The taller man stiffens up immediately, and Jounouchi can feel his lean muscles tense, fighting the desire to disobey his plea. But he does not move—his blue eyes glare straight ahead, promising retribution. Otherwise, his expression is cold and blank as if nothing could ever faze him.

Jounouchi knows what he must do. He knows Kaiba is just as volatile as he is although he usually expresses it in a different way. This is why their so-called relationship confuses him to no end. If they aren't able to stand each other most of the time, why are they still torturing themselves trying to keep up with this farce of a relationship?

He clutches Kaiba tighter and puts an ounce of desperation in his voice. "I'm sorry I said anything about Mokuba at all. You know I didn't mean anything from that. But you had to see—that is what Yugi is like to me. I wanted you to see that, because I don't just do this with anybody. Can't you see that you're the only one I do this with?" he whispers into Kaiba's neck.

There is a long pause, and Jounouchi feels Kaiba's tense muscles slowly loosen and he's relieved the man is willing to listen to him. He doesn't know why, but his heart seems to have chosen the most difficult person in the world to like.

"Don't ever talk about Mokuba that way again," the CEO demands in a stilted voice, eyes still trained straight ahead.

Jounouchi nods his head at the order, feeling his pride and dignity slip down the drain. Inside, he curses his heart for choosing the one guy that could make him disregard and strip his pride away.

"Then don't ever talk about Yugi and I that way," he can't help but counter in turn.

A pregnant silence fills the air after that, and Jounouchi finally removes his arms from Kaiba's waist. He understands that there will be no apology from the other man—he is still too proud. So he turns around awkwardly, thinking he has to go somewhere alone where he can recuperate from his altercation with Kaiba. These days he's been recuperating a lot and the thought gives him a sense of resignation.

Before he is able to go on his way, however, this time Kaiba grabs his wrist to stop him, and he turns around in inquiry to face the other man.

"What?" he questions warily, suddenly feeling nasty butterflies fluttering in his stomach. Forget that, it feels more like someone is having a fine time juggling rocks in his stomach.

However Kaiba just stares at him and says nothing. Jounouchi feels like a deer caught in the headlights as he can't help but stare back into those blue, blue eyes that never fail to burn a trail into his soul…he can feel his heart beat painfully against his ribcage and the light-headedness settle in. He coughs and catches himself, immediately moving his eyes slightly off kilter so his vision blurs out of focus beside Kaiba's face. That has always been the best solution every time he wants to avoid Kaiba's potent eyes without being obvious that he's avoiding him.

Sighing, he turns the rest of the way to face Kaiba, making sure his eyes are focused on Kaiba's ear. He grins stupidly, permitting the man to continue to hold his wrist, and then chuckles depreciatingly, "And all this started with you trying to make me take those damn shoes." He shakes his head and then looks away, all the while doubting that his heart would be able to handle anymore added stress for that day. "It's really not worth it," he adds absently.

For some reason, he is able to feel the intensity of Kaiba's eyes on him, but he refuses to look back, turning his eyes to something in the distance to distract himself. His eyes settle on the warped looking willow tree in the background, peeking behind a grove of formidable oak trees. He wonders why he has never noticed that particular tree before in this park.

His mind is happily occupied and removed from reality, so he winces in annoyance when Kaiba grasps his chin with a slender hand, forcing him to look into his irritating face and his blasted soul-sucking blue eyes.

"Look at me and pay attention when I talk to you, _bonkotsu_," the man is saying to him, all the while smirking that infuriating smirk. Jounouchi hates that smirk with a passion, knowing it is solely reserved for him when Kaiba is up to no good.

All the while, Jounouchi still continues to ponder to himself why his heart would betray him when it has served him so well in the past. He does not want to like Kaiba, the most exasperating man in the world, and he doesn't think that their relationship is healthy enough to last.

But he thinks that once their "relationship" with each other falls apart, he'll probably fall apart with it as well. Kaiba is the sort of man who demands all of his attention and all his affection, and being the idiot he is, he gives them all willingly. The ominous contemplation leaves a sour taste in his mouth and he unconsciously sighs as his eyes are forced to look upon Kaiba's face.

"What do you want?" he asks wearily. He is tired of feeling mixed emotions when it comes to the arrogant prick.

"I want to know why you stopped accepting my gifts," the chestnut-haired man pulls his face closer, close enough that Jounouchi can feel the breath of the other upon his lips. The queasy sensation inside him grows stronger.

"Because I don't need those damn things. I already have what I need," he tries to explain. The first several times Kaiba had given him gifts, he had accepted them quite happily, believing the wealthy CEO to be a practical man that would only give him practical things he could actually use.

Oh how wrong he had been and how stupid of him to think so.

Kaiba's eyes narrow dangerously. "What's wrong with having more?" he asks acerbically.

"Kaiba, have you ever wondered just how much money you spend on a daily basis? It's ridiculous!"

"There is nothing ridiculous about it," Kaiba replies defensively, "Comparing my total income to yours, your consumption percentage would be higher than mine.

"Well yeah, duh! But you're like a _bajillionaire_! And having that much money doesn't mean it's okay to waste it on useless, impractical things!"

"Hmph, says the dog that spent his whole year's paycheck on a pair of mangy shoes."

"They're not mangy! And that's because I needed new shoes, and I got these half off!"

Kaiba scowls as he clutches Jounouchi's face with both hands now. "And did you really need to buy shoes that were worth that much? If you're talking about practical, you should have bought the cheapest, most durable pair you could find and then save the rest for more important things."

Jounouchi tries to turn his head away to sulk because Kaiba does have a point, but the brunet's hands on his face prevent him from moving. He makes do with pouting as he glares at Kaiba with all his might.

Amused, Kaiba only continues, "Your argument and logic is faulty, _makeinu_, and I'm only using it against you."

It is now Jounouchi's turn to scowl and he mutters, "But that's only once in a while. There's nothing wrong with getting something you really want once in a while. But you do it every fucking day!"

"I still fail to see what is wrong with that," Kaiba replies infuriatingly.

So Jounouchi tries to enlighten him. "Don't you see? Simple is best! The more you have, the less you appreciate it. But for me, the less I have, the more I appreciate the things I do have! And when I'm able to purchase or attain something I really, really want once a while, I end up appreciating that thing so much more! But since you buy whatever you want, whenever you want based on your whim, you end up taking for granted the things you buy."

Kaiba's face is expressionless and he says nothing, but Jounouchi thinks he sees a light of perception in his eyes.

So he continues on, "Don't you have things you cherish that money can't buy? Don't you have memories that can't ever be replaced by wealth? My sister, your brother, my friends, the time and effort you've given to your company, our values and beliefs… those can never be bought and so they are the simple things we love in life. Am I right?"

"And the less things I have, the more I realize that those are the only things I really need to be happy," he adds a little uncertainly when he sees Kaiba's still unchanging blank face.

The other man continues to stay silent, probably attempting to think of a rebuttal, some kind of fault or loophole in his reasoning.

Jounouchi sighs at this and turns his thoughts back to the complicated parts of his life—his screwed up relationship with the infuriating CEO.

Somewhere, somehow his heart has chosen to let Kaiba in, until even the simple things he loves do not compare to how Kaiba can make him feel. In the end, even though he considers himself a simple man with simple pleasures, he admits that his heart is no longer so simple. It makes him feel what he does not want to feel and constantly causes him to be confused and uncertain. These emotions all jumble up inside him, leaving an unpleasant lingering sense of foreboding always above his head.

But still, he is convinced that any day now, this pathetic excuse of a relationship will crumble into dust and he with it. He knows he should break this all up or leave before it all comes tumbling down, but where his hardheadedness and willpower had served to his advantage in previous situations, it is now an anchor that threatens to drown him at any moment.

Maybe he _is _a bigger masochist than he had thought previously.

Because despite all of Kaiba's faults and idiosyncrasies, despite all the problems he sees with their charade of a relationship, despite him being able to foresee its downfall, he continues to stubbornly cling to the hope that everything will right itself and each of them will change for the better and for the good of each other and the good of their relationship.

But now that he thinks about it, he is able to recount all the times he has lowered his head before the other man, pushing aside his pride and submitting his dignity, and though he has seen an inkling of progress from the other man in the form of tiny compromises, it is not nearly enough.

Even he understands the principle of unbalanced unions and relationships, coming from a divorced family. His father had been unable to bear his share of the burden, shoving more and more stress onto his mother until one side crumpled underneath the weight.

Just like now, he sees the uneven yoke he and Kaiba each carry, and his burden seems thrice as heavy, bearing down on him until he is crawling on his knees. Relationships are all about equal giving and taking, and he doesn't think he will be able to give anymore when he has nothing left to give.

He gets shaken out of his trance by an insistent arm and he absently looks up to see the uncharacteristically concerned face of Kaiba Seto.

"-'s up with you? I'm talking to you! Jounouchi! Of all times, why are you off in your own world now?"

"K-Kaiba?" He is not sure what they had been talking about anymore. But maybe this is now the time…

"You just dazed off like a simpleton. I was saying-"

"Kaiba. I need to tell you something," he hears himself say. His voice comes out distant, expressionless, and very unlike his usual self. This is better, he vaguely decides, because it feels like he is watching everything from a third person's perspective. If he keeps himself far away during this, maybe it wouldn't hurt as much when his heart is crushed under the pressure.

But apparently Kaiba has more intuition than he credits him for, and he distantly feels like he is being grabbed and shoved into a hard-muscled body. He unconsciously closes his eyes to take in what would be his final hug with Kaiba. He'll miss this, he thinks. Kaiba, despite being an ass and a cold-hearted bastard, has a warm body and always smells wonderful.

"You're not going to say anything," he hears a muffled voice from above his head. He wonders why it's muffled.

"You're not going to say anything because I won't let you," Kaiba's voice repeats firmly.

_No_, something inside him says_. I need to do this, or else there would be nothing left of me. _He feels himself moving his head back from the other man's shoulder.

"I need to say this," he manages. "I don't thin-"

His face is shoved back into Kaiba's shoulder roughly, stopping him from continuing his sentence. One strong arm is on the back of his neck, the other is on the small of his back, keeping him still.

And he thinks this is just another way the other man manages to dominate over him, to stop him from retaliating, to keep him from rising above his inferior position.

He can feel himself getting angry despite trying to stay distant. So he starts resisting. His arms are pinned to his sides, very much akin to what he had done to Kaiba earlier, but he knows a way to get out of this tight hold.

He breathes in once more, letting it sink in that once he acts, his actions can never be undone. But he prepares himself nevertheless, believing this to be the only way to save himself.

Gathering his strength, he lifts his leg and stomps harshly on the other man's foot. Expectedly, Kaiba yowls in pain and releases him momentarily. His arms now free, he shoves the other man away from him one last time and fluidly swipes his leg underneath the already unbalanced man.

He's not sure why he feels like emptying his stomach when he sees Kaiba tumble ungracefully to the ground.

But he forges on. He puts some distance between Kaiba and himself, and watches the man get back up. He knows the other man must be angry beyond belief, and he knows that this will only make it easier.

But what he isn't prepared for is the feral and desperate expression that he sees on Kaiba's face.

His heart is thumping painfully against his ribcage, so he closes his eyes and just blurts it all out before Kaiba can stop him.

"I feel like I'm drowning and being swallowed up when I'm with you! I can't handle these feelings anymore! I'm just a poor man without a cent to his name. My pride and dignity as a man—those were the only things I had. But now I don't even have those anymore when I'm with you. I really liked you despite everything, and so I wanted it to last. But we never agree with anything, our worlds are completely different, and I don't think I can give you anymore of what's left of myself. I'm a simple person, and I can't make sense of these complicated emotions. I'm falling apart, so please…" By the time he gets to the endpoint of his diatribe, his voice is merely a whisper, and he feels pathetic admitting to Kaiba of his tumultuous emotions. _Just like a girl_… but he can't help but go on, his voice cracking from the sheer pain he feels in his heart.

"… so please… let's end this.." he gasps out at last. "Let's just end this before I lose what's left of myself."

He clutches a hand to his mouth to stop himself from emptying the contents of his stomach out onto the pavement, but he feels the inevitable urge coming nevertheless. He doesn't want to throw up in front of Kaiba, so he turns and runs away, sweat breaking out from his pores as he tries to find a decent place to hide.

He immediately heads for the backstreets and alleys of the city which are as familiar to him as his beloved deck. During the way, he vomits his stomach out on a corner of a dirty alley until only the dry heaves are left.

It feels like he vomited his heart out as well.

Jounouchi knows that whatever the hell it is that he had with Kaiba is definitely over. He has had many fights and arguments with the other man over the year, but this fight is different from those. It gives off a sense of finality and touches upon something deeper than their usual petty fights. Kaiba will not forgive or forget him for hitting him like that, would take it as betrayal. That's just the kind of guy he is.

He knows he should be relieved that it is over, but the only thing he feels aside from being sick is an empty void where his heart should be. But still, somehow he makes it back to his father's decrepit apartment in the shadier end of Domino, and he is reminded once more just how different his and Kaiba's worlds are.

He drags himself into the only bathroom in the house and heaves several more times over the sink. He grabs the sides of the sink to steady himself and decides that he wants to drown himself in the shower for a little while. Shedding his sweat-stained clothing across the dirty tiles of the bathroom floor, Jounouchi turns on the shower faucet to full blast, hot as it can get. It scalds his skin, but he does not care. He decides that he will come out of this shower a changed man—the man he used to be before Kaiba. Those values and friendships he cherished so much, those simple joys—those will be his new heart.

It is only when he is lying on his bed, staring straight up towards the darkness of his ceiling that he hazily realizes that Kaiba had not even tried to go after him.

And even then... even after deciding to put all of his pain and everything about Kaiba behind him, his new heart still continues to hurt.

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><p><strong>Notes:<strong> I was experimenting with different writing styles and this was one of the results. It's meant to be fragmented. The story initially started how I intended but then it became a giant vent for my mood (life's been difficult recently), so I apologize if Jounouchi came out a lot angstier than normal … *sighs* I _might_ write a better ending when my mood improves.

**Footnotes:**

**[1]** Air Muscle: A fictional brand of shoes in the Yugiou manga. _(Spoiler alert for the manga ahead. Don't read if you don't want to be spoiled.)_In the manga, Jounouchi has his eyes on a pair of Air Muscles worth 100,000 yen at the Junky Scorpion store. However, the shoe owner refuses to sell him the shoes unless Jounouchi puts his foot into one of the shoes that he says has a scorpion inside. Anyway, Jounouchi slips his foot in only to find that there was no scorpion in it. Admitting it was a test of worthiness, the owner agrees to sell the shoes to him half price. Later on, Jounouchi and co. get attacked by some thugs who steal his hard-earned shoes. Him and Honda, being the great fighters they are, track down the thugs and beat them up only to learn that it was the store owner who hired them to steal the shoes back. By the time he and Honda get back to the store, the other Yugi (Pharaoh Atemu) has already somehow retrieved his shoes back while the shoe owner gets rushed to the hospital for multiple scorpion stings. The shoes do not go undamaged, however, but Jounouchi is fine with it anyway, calling the damage done "battle scars."

**[2]**Purchasing a spanking new sports car, building Battle City, and the custom BEWD personal jet: All these events occurred in the second anime series. Kaiba is a drama-queen, I swear.

**[3]** Death-T: A theme-park designed and built by Kaiba to assassinate Yugi and co. in the manga. It's no joke. Kaiba's insane. And Mokuba was an evil little bastard as well!


End file.
